If the league is serious about player safety, one of the easiest and most effective things it could do is expand NFL rosters to 60 players and let them all dress and participate on game day.

Right now, NFL rosters are capped at 53 players and 46 players are active on game day. Each team is allowed to maintain an eight-man practice squad. Iíd expand the roster to 60 and the practice squad to 10. Iíve never understood how NFL teams practiced with just 60 players. A college team will use all 100 players during a typical two-hour practice.

Another twist Iíd add is Iíd make a rule that all position players -- except QBs, kickers and long snappers -- must play an entire series each half or a minimum of five offensive or defensive plays each half. Each position would have a backup and the reserves (except QB) would be required to play. So thatís 42 position players -- a starter and a backup at every position except QB -- that must play. A team would carry three QBs, a punter, a kicker and two long snappers. Thatís 49 players. The other 11 players would be listed as special-teams players. Unless thereís an injury, these players would solely play on special teams.

Given the frequency of in-game injuries, the rules would be tricky to administrate. But it could be done. For instance, a reserve wouldnít get credit for participation on kneel-down plays at the end of each half. If a team failed to meet the requirements for a particular reserve, the team could be penalized with the disqualification of a starter the next week.

The point is, you could make the game safer without significantly hurting the quality of play by cutting the number of plays each starter plays. Make the whole roster participate.

Iím not ready to write off the Chiefs or Matt Cassel after they got waxed by the Falcons.

The Chiefs played Atlanta without the services of their two best defensive players, Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers. No Hali equals limited pass rush. No Flowers equals limited secondary coverage. Thatís a bad recipe against Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez.

Itís a damn shame Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters is going to miss a chunk or all of this season because the Patriots are justifiably refusing to rework his contract.

Waters has Hall of Fame talent. Heís a smaller version of Larry Allen. No one realizes how good Waters is because he entered the league as an undrafted free agent and played his most dominant years in the shadow of perennial Pro Bowler Will Shields. Waters has never been paid what heís worth. Thatís why he had trouble in his latter years in KC and now in New England.

Heís a Hall of Fame lineman who has been paid like heís an occasional Pro Bowler throughout his career. I donít blame the Patriots for balking at redoing his contract. Waters is 35 and you never know when his body will quit allowing him to play at an all-pro level.

htismaqe

09-13-2012, 01:40 PM

Wow, Whitlock is even-keeled and cautiously...optimistic? The world is definitely going to end in December...

HemiEd

09-13-2012, 01:50 PM

Another twist I’d add is I’d make a rule that all position players -- except QBs, kickers and long snappers -- must play an entire series each half or a minimum of five offensive or defensive plays each half. Each position would have a backup and the reserves (except QB) would be required to play. So that’s 42 position players -- a starter and a backup at every position except QB -- that must play.

That is so stupid I am almost speechless.

"Coach's player monitor assistant" Coach we need to pull 56, 29 and 24 for this defensive series as their backups haven't played this half yet."

Will they get participation ribbons to wear on the sidelines to help keep track of who has played?

A Salt Weapon

09-13-2012, 01:55 PM

Will each team receive a participation trophy as well?

Reerun_KC

09-13-2012, 02:00 PM

That is so stupid I am almost speechless.

"Coach's player monitor assistant" Coach we need to pull 56, 29 and 24 for this defensive series as their backups haven't played this half yet."

Will they get participation ribbons to wear on the sidelines to help keep track of who has played?

Well done...

ClevelandBronco

09-13-2012, 02:02 PM

I vote no. I enjoyed watching the Raiders' backup long snapper.

King_Chief_Fan

09-13-2012, 02:03 PM

That is so stupid I am almost speechless.

"Coach's player monitor assistant" Coach we need to pull 56, 29 and 24 for this defensive series as their backups haven't played this half yet."

Will they get participation ribbons to wear on the sidelines to help keep track of who has played?

I remember having to do that with girls softball when they were 8-9-10.
The NFL becoming like 8-9-10 year old girlsLMAO

KC_Lee

09-13-2012, 02:20 PM

At what point do you replace your starting LT for his back up? Or perhaps your #1 CB covering the other team's #1 WR?

I see what he is getting at but I don't think this would be a viable option.

listopencil

09-13-2012, 02:54 PM

His sub rules are stupid. It will never happen and it shouldn't. Brushing aside his dumbass sub idea, I am all for expanding NFL roster size. Including the practice squad.

whoman69

09-13-2012, 03:22 PM

That is so stupid I am almost speechless.

"Coach's player monitor assistant" Coach we need to pull 56, 29 and 24 for this defensive series as their backups haven't played this half yet."

Will they get participation ribbons to wear on the sidelines to help keep track of who has played?

Gotta agree with that. Who is going to track that?

There is plenty of things they can do to increase safety, and many would bring balance back to the defense. Cut blocks should be illegal. If a team is going to go no huddle, they have to snap the ball within 10 seconds or get a delay of game penalty that would allow the defense to substitute. They also need to work on the equipment. I think the NFL is working towards new equipment now, but it may take some time.

Frosty

09-13-2012, 03:29 PM

I'm all for expanding the roster and eliminating the inactive rule. I'm not seeing how it would help player safety unless he thinks the players would play and practice less?

listopencil

09-13-2012, 03:30 PM

Gotta agree with that. Who is going to track that?

It can be done simply, it's just a dumb idea. I did the job myself when my kids played Pop Warner football.

Discuss Thrower

09-13-2012, 03:32 PM

55-60 man, active game day roster. Done, son.

durtyrute

09-13-2012, 03:37 PM

Whitlock is asking all of the haters how is ass taste

Nickel D

09-13-2012, 03:39 PM

Totally insane. With regular time-outs, stoppages of play for 1st down measurements and challenges with reviews, game clock now running for most of every quarter between plays, as well as lengthy TV timeouts, your typical starter will participate in about 60 plays over 3 hours in real time...on average, 20 plays per hour or one every 3 minutes. We as fans expect each athlete on the field to be in top physical form, not a "Joe Bag O'Donuts" who gets gassed after every series of downs. Also, the game stats would then become 'watered down' since the Pro Bowl-type and potential future HoF'ers would be on the field only about 80% of the normal time. And what would be the penalty against a team who failed to meet the standards and kept their starters in longer than allowed? Automatic forfeiture of game? You know that won't happen. JW: It also stands for Jerk Wad.